Hey Connor, check out a book called Hannibal and the Enemies of Rome by Peter Connoly. They had it at my local library and it is a excellant resource to have. Not only does it provide illustrations of these warriors, but it also shows the actual archeological evidence of weapons and helmets to show you the real deal. It's not just about Hannibal and the Celts either; It shows arms and equipment of the Etruscans, Samnites, hill peoples, you name it. The general history in this book is pretty basic and brief but it is a great visual guide and reference for arms and equipment. Also, If you check the "show us your helms thread" Matthew Amt has a neat example of a Villanovan helmet & cuirass.

Last edited by T Franks on Tue 17 Aug, 2010 9:56 am; edited 1 time in total

Here are some pages that might help. The first two pages are on the Etruscans. Sorry the helmet kinda gets cut off there in the bottom right corner, but there is an illustrated one on the opposite left.

As can be seen from the illustrations, Italian warfare was heavily influenced by the Greeks, who had colonised southern Italy. Until the emergence of Rome and the Camillan reforms in the 4th century BC, Italians fought in phalanxes with Greek-style panoplies.

Yes, Peter Connolly's books are excellent for this sort of thing, overall. "Greece and Rome at War" is a good basic to have in any case. There is also an Osprey on Early Roman Armies which is quite good.

(Thanks Mr. Franks!) The helmet is often called "Etruscan" but is actually a Villanovan style. The "poncho" cuirass is copied from the original on display in the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia.

The Villanovans were the actual people who became the Romans. The Etruscans arose about the same time, but are a separate ethnic group. They ruled Rome for about a century but were tossed out about 510 BC and were eventually conquered by the Romans. At their earliest point, Etruscan arms and armor would have been similar to that of the Villanovans and other Italian groups. At their height, the wealthiest men were equipped basically as Greek hoplites, backed up by ranks of men with more local gear, hence the pectoral plates, Montefortino and other Italian helmets, oval or oblong shields, etc.

Oh, if you do a Google image search on "Etruscan Warrior" you'll find some good stuff, including a couple figurines, frescoes, and some reconstructions.

Weren't the Romans Etrurian people? I do think the people of Rome revolted against their local Etrurian king (Etruria at this time being much like Greece, a collection of allied city states) under the leadership of some fellow named Brutus. And they then started the republic, right? And didn't the Etruscans themselves (and by proxy the Romans) descend from the Villanovans? I'm pretty sure that's the way of it...

{EDIT: I just now read Matthew's post in full, and it certainly explains the different ethnic identities of the Villanovans and Etruscans in full! So please disregard that last paragraph--I mistook Etruscan influence on Rome for genetic descent. Heheh...}

Also, how effective were those little "poncho" style breastplates, and the small disc ones? They seem to offer comparatively little protection to the torso as a whole. Although they do look cool. Any word on why the Etruscans didn't develop a more complete cuirass?

Also, how effective were those little "poncho" style breastplates, and the small disc ones? They seem to offer comparatively little protection to the torso as a whole. Although they do look cool. Any word on why the Etruscans didn't develop a more complete cuirass?

As Dan says, full cuirasses were quite common among the Etruscans, as well as with other Italian people. They would have been worn by the wealthiest warriors. Pectorals were common among less wealthy men, offering better protection than just a tunic, for a lot less cost (and weight!) than a complete cuirass. And as you point out, they look good! Bling was very important in ancient warfare, and looking impressive was the whole reason for crested helmets and such.

By the end of the Monarchy, the Roman army had a regular system to determine how much armor a man wore, according to his social class, which in turn was dictated by his wealth. So the upper class had full cuirass, greaves, helmet, and shield, and each succeeding class had a little less.

Strictly speaking, there is only one known example of the poncho cuirass, and I suspect that it may have been a funerary or ceremonial piece. Only the breastplate survives, and the shoulders are too damaged to tell if there were connections for a backplate, or merely straps to secure it. It's also actually too *large* for good armor--it's a good 16 inches wide across the shoulders, which limits arm movement. A full bronze cuirass generally measures only about 9 or 10 inches across the chest between the armholes.

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